A fantasy adventure featuring real time combat, this action packed
role-playing game follows the quest of two brave youths who have to save the
realm from the evil powers of a Dark Lord and prevent the powers of the Mana
tree falling into evil hands. Sword of Mana is coming exclusively to the
Game Boy Advance on 19th March 2004.
From the creators of Final Fantasy, this is the first full Final Fantasy RPG
available on the Game Boy Advance. Sword of Mana is a magical journey that
offers a rich and captivating storyline set in a fantasy world. Telling the
story of the source of all life, the power that flows from the Goddess Mana,
and set long long ago in a time of darkness, the mighty Vandole Empire
tapped mana energy to save the world. In an effort to stop the use of such
power for evil purposes, the Goddess transformed herself into the Mana Tree,
locking power away from anyone who would try to abuse it.
But now, the Dark Lord is persecuting the Mana Clan and you must choose to
play either the hero or heroine to protect them. By choosing either the male
or female character, you can experience 2 different adventures in the Mana
world. With captivating dialogue and atmospheric flashbacks, this game will
enchant even the most battle weary role-playing gamers. It¹s an adventure
that can be experienced alone, but it is even better when you bring along a
friend.
Share your game data with other Sword of Mana players using a Game Boy
Advance Game Link Cable and you can each become ³Amigos² allowing your
friend to make appearances in your very own adventure. During the game, your
friend will appear to help you overcome your foes when Special Attacks are
performed!
Embarking on this quest is a perilous undertaking. The Dark Lord has
afflicted the most terrible crimes on the realm of Granz, killing many of
the great Mana Clan including the loved ones of the main characters. For
such a mission, you have to be prepared at all times with the very best
weapons and armour. Buy and sell new items in shops and even forge your own
equipment! As your game progresses, collect skill points and allocate them
to new jobs. The players can even use their points on different job titles
allowing them to become a warrior, monk, magician, sage or even a thief!
The Mana franchise is legendary among fantasy gaming adventurers across the
world. Four Mana games have been published worldwide, but only Secret of
Mana for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System was made available in
Europe. Make no mistake. The magic is coming back!
Sword of Mana will be available on the Game Boy Advance in the UK from 19th
March 2004.
Sword of Mana will be available across Europe at the estimated retail price
of around 40 Euros. The Game Boy Advance SP is on sale across Europe for an
estimated price of 129 - 139 Euros.
Click onto
Nintendo Europe.com
for all of the most up to date official information on Nintendo.
A 'Savage' game designer competition on PC...
In a violent age, eons from now, nomad humans roam the earth, inflicting cruelty on the beasts and creatures of
the world. The human race is wasteful, selfish and fights amongst itself, while those closest to nature, the
beast race, learn from human failings evolving and growing stronger with the passing of time. A daily struggle
ensues, man against beast, for the very basic national resources that nurture life. Each race has its own style
of battle, its own leader, and its own way to victory. Which side are you on?
Combining real time strategy and first person action, "SAVAGE" delivers the next level in multiplayer gaming.
Instead of sending mindless computer drones into battle, players organize real human players on a crusade to
conquer their adversaries. A player may choose to be a commander, and play an in-depth RTS game, researching
technologies, mining resources, and issuing orders to their warriors. If a player chooses to be a warrior, they
will play an intense game of first person combat, wielding their weapon of choice to strike down the enemy.
SAVAGE is designed so that neither RTS nor Action based play are watered down in any way. RTS fans will have
all the control they are used to such as tech tree, resource management and tactical strategy. In turn, the
action-based players will play an in-depth fighting game with a heavy emphasis on battle dynamics. Although the
two sides work together their roles are very distinct.
There is also a new competition launched to find the world’s greatest new game designers:
Taken direct from the press release:
DJS TO KICK OFF MODS AND MAPPERS CHALLENGE
Britsoft publisher Digital Jesters is launching a competition to find the hottest new game-making talent, with a
unique 'mod'-making contest held in conjunction with NVIDIA and PC Format.
With games such as Counter Strike originally emerging from such game-altering modifications, this is a very real
chance for would-be programmers to take existing technology and morph it into a game of their choosing.
The competition centres around the new release Savage: The Battle for Newerth, which itself is an evolutionary
game, uniquely marrying the first-person-shooter genre with the resource management and hierarchy of a real-time
strategy game.
There's €2000 up for grabs for the winning individual or team, along with five NVIDIA® GeForceTM FX cards for the
winner or winners.
Savage is a multiplayer-only game of brutal combat in which teams of up to 16 players battle against other
factions. Each team comprises 15 warriors who battle from a first-person perspective and one commander who builds
bases and weaponry and issues tactical advice to his side. It is this fusion of viewpoints that has created a
fanatical US community, which has been enjoying Savage since its release there late last November. Indeed, the
New York Times has described as "the most innovative game of the year".
By way of inspiration, European gamers will be treated to an extra special bonus pack which contains a host of
new maps and mods for Savage which illustrate the real diversity achievable through modifying the original game engine.
To enter the competition, players simply head to
this website
where the necessary tools are available for download. Additionally, hints and tips will be available in PC
Format's new insert 'The Game Maker'. Further inspiration can be found on the Savage forums.
The winning mod will be chosen based on its originality, balancing and playability and all entries will be
available for download from
Savage Europe.com.
Full terms and conditions can also be found on the site.
Savage: The Battle For Newerth European Edition will be released on February 27th 2004 in the UK, priced
£29.99, and throughout Europe in March and April.
Bob Dylan on DVD...
And a music DVD to round off this round-up.
With a set of drum sticks and an 8mm colour home movie camera, Mickey Jones toured the world in 1966 with Bob
Dylan and The Band. He captured on film what became know as "the tour that changed Rock and Roll forever". The
booing crowds, the scathing reviews, the stomping feet, the infamous cry of "Judas!"... all of this in response
to Dylan trading in his acoustic folk guitar for a hard edged, electric sound.
Retailing for £15.99, Bob Dylan - 1966 World Tour: The Home Movies is released on March 22nd.
The Last Witness, sees DS Jane Tennison seven years on, heading up a London murder squad and as bloody
minded as ever. Her boss thinks it might be a good time for her to retire but Tennison has other ideas. When
the story of a young Bosnian woman tortured to death hits the headlines, she steps in to take personal charge
of the murder squad team – ruffling the feathers of her ambitious deputy, Chief Inspector Finch.
But when her prime suspect turns out to be a ‘minor’ war criminal who has been given a new identity in the UK,
for exposing higher profile war criminals, Tennison’s quest for justice becomes increasingly complicated. Not
only does the case threaten an early end to her career but it also makes Tennison realise she has little else
left in her life, but everything to fight for.
Helen Mirren thought long and hard about returning to the role of Jane Tennison and explains what made
her say yes to another series of Prime Suspect. She comments, “The script. I’ve always said that if you could
come up with a great script of course I would consider it….It was two years ago really that myself and Granada
started talking about it again and I started thinking that maybe it was time that I re-visit the character again.”
Prime Suspect: The Last Witness
was screened on ITV1 in November 2003 and viewers welcomed it’s return
with ten million tuning in. Originally created by Linda La Plante, Prime Suspect was an instant success when
first broadcast in the UK in April 1991. Four further features of Prime Suspect followed and the brand went
from strength to strength now having transmitted in over 80 countries and winning Mirren four Emmys for her
role as the tenacious detective.
Alongside this latest epic are cast and crew interviews, including: Helen Mirren, Ben Miles, DCI Finch, writer
Peter Berry (Goodbye My Love – Ruth Rendel; A Life for a Life), Tom Hooper (Cold Feet; Love in a Cold Climate)
the Director, David Boulter the Producer and Executive Producer Andy Harries.
Lately Airbiscuit have announced a new single and album...
If you're looking for a new direction in music which successfully blends keyboards, guitars, dance and ambience,
then look no further than Airbiscuit. Their forthcoming single,
Lately
heads more towards the dance and ambient vein, and their album, Caldo-Freddo is due in April.
Taken from the biography page of the band's website:
"Airbiscuit is the brainchild of quirky production duo Philip Stone and BooBoo Johnson. Originally from
Cambridge, Airbiscuit was founded in 2001 with a simple mission - to create quality dance music with widespread
appeal, irrespective of genre. Accomplished songwriters in their own right, Airbiscuit have created a dance
album with a difference: it contains no samples or interpolations of any other work, just original
compositions - a rare feat in dance music."
For more info on the band, including samples of some tracks such as Lately, visit
Airbiscuit.net.
MGM's March DVD releases...
There are two Stargate SG1 DVD releases out next month, although they often tend to slip a week or two so the
latter may end up in April. Either way, the details of those and all other March DVDs are as follows:
Stargate SG1 Season 6 Vol.33:
The episodes are: Revisions, Lifeboat, Enemy Mine, Space Race, with extras:
Documentary 'Stargate SG-1 - Beyond The Gate', SG-1 Directors Series, Audio commentaries featuring directors
and crew for every episode, Preview trailers, Behind the scenes photo galleries. 16:9 widescreen. £19.99.
Stargate SG1 Season 6 Vol.34:
The episodes are: Avenger 2.0, Birthright, Evolution, Evolution (Part 2), with extras:
Documentary 'Stargate SG-1 - Beyond The Gate', SG-1 Directors Series, Audio commentaries featuring directors
and crew for every episode, Preview trailers, Behind the scenes photo galleries. 16:9 widescreen. £19.99.
Good Boy!:
Thousands of years ago a group of dogs who are actually aliens landed on Earth. They are sent as spies for their
home planet Canid 3942, but as the years pass they forget all about their mission... Based on the story 'Dogs
From Outer Space' by Zeke Richardson.
Starring Brittany Murphy and Matthew Broderick and for £15.99, the extras include:
Canine-tary – Audio Commentary, Dog-umentary – Behind the Scenes Feature, Tricks for a Crafty Canine – Featurette,
The Dog Pound – Deleted and Alternate Scenes, Q+A with Hubble, the talking dog from Outer Space,
Dog Walking Duty – Interactive Menus and Videos, 2 x Easter Eggs, Theatrical Trailer and Photo Gallery
Impromptu:
Better known in her own day than even Charles Dickens, George Sand (Judy Davis) was the most celebrated writer
of the early nineteenth century and possibly its most notorious Bohemian. Fredric Chopin (Hugh Grant) was one
of the greatest musicians of his age who gained a legendary reputation throughout Europe as both a pianist and
a composer.
Trailer. 1.85:1 widescreen. £12.99.
The Comfort of Strangers:
Mary and Colin return to Venice to recapture the happiness of their previous holiday and to decide their future
together. Their peace is disturbed however, when they are befriended by another couple. A sinister tale of
beauty and destruction. Starring Rupert Everett, Natasha Richardson, Helen Mirren and Christopher Walken.
Trailer. 1.85:1 widescreen. £12.99.
The Entertainer:
Laurence Olivier was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Archie Rice, a down-and-out vaudeville
entertainer in a seedy coastal resort, who is faced with an emotional crisis when he is visited by his daughter.
Trailer. 1.66:1 widescreen. £12.99.
The Unforgiven (1959):
From director John Huston and screenwriter Ben Maddow, The Unforgiven is a thrilling Western starring Burt
Lancaster, Audrey Hepburn and Lillian Gish.
Trailer. 2.35:1 widescreen. £12.99.
Wild Bill:
The story of Wild Bill Hickok who returns to Deadwood after a three year absence to find a gold rush has changed
everything, except Calamity Jane. Starring Jeff Bridges, John Hurt and Ellen Barkin.
Trailer. 1.85:1 widescreen. £12.99.
Posse:
It’s 1892. Jesse Lee (Mario Van Peebles) is a marksman who has fought at the frontline in the Spanish-American
war only to find himself turned in by his corrupt colonel (Billy Zane).
Trailer. 2.35:1 widescreen. £12.99.
The Kentuckian:
A rugged frontiersman and his son travel to Texas in search of a place where they can start a new life. Starring
Burt Lancaster and Walter Matthau.
Trailer. 1.85:1 widescreen. £12.99.
The Horse Soldiers:
John Wayne grabs centre stage as the ruthless Colonel Marlowe in this powerful western, set in the US Civil War.
Trailer. 1.85:1 widescreen. £12.99.
Duel at Diablo:
Tough frontier scout Jess Remsberg (James Garner) bravely leads a wagon train through hostile territory to Fort
Chonchos. But underneath his valour he has an ulterior motive: to seek revenge on the man he believes killed his
wife.
Trailer. 1.66:1 widescreen. £12.99.
Paramount's April DVD releases...
Of Paramount's April DVDs, James Clavell's
Shogun
is finally getting a long-awaited full-series release on DVD instead of the 2-hour version previously available.
SHÕGUN is a sweeping award-winning story of love and war, set against the spectacular background of feudal Japan
at the beginning of the 17th Century. This complete collection of the classic miniseries tells the story of John
Blackthorne (Chamberlain), an English navigator who finds himself shipwrecked off the coast of Japan. Blackthorne
becomes an eyewitness to a deadly struggle involving a feuding Japanese warlord intent on becoming the supreme
military dictator.
The extras include a 13-Segment Documentary: The making of SHÕGUN, with new cast and crew interviews
(including Richard Chamberlain and Director Jerry London) and extensive behind-the-scenes footage, 3 Historical
featurettes: The Samurai, The Tea Ceremony and The Geisha, plus an Audio Commentary by Director Jerry London on
Selected Scenes.
Their other DVDs out that month are as follows:
The Fighting Temptations:
Cold-hearted advertising executive, Darrin Fox, is promised a fortune in inheritance but only if he completes a
task... He must lead a gospel singing group to victory in a competition. Cuba Gooding Jr and Beyonce Knowles
star, with eight extended music numbers and seven extended scenes. 2.35:1 widescreen. £19.99.
Brother Sun, Sister Moon:
One of director Franco Zeffirelli’s most acclaimed, but least well known works, Brother Sun, Sister Moon is a
historical drama with a powerful Donovan score, which tells the story of the early years in the life of history’s
first ‘drop out’, St Francis of Assisi. Starring Alec Guinness. 1.85:1 widescreen. £15.99.
Targets:
In a stunning directorial debut Peter Bogdanovich weaves together two disparate story lines featuring aging horror
star Byron Orlok (Boris Karloff) and sniper Bobby Thompson (Tim O'Kelly) in a compulsive thriller based on the
real-life killing spree of American Charles Whitman in 1966. 1.85:1 widescreen. £15.99.
Hud:
Based on a Larry McMurty novel, this Martin Ritt film was a testament to the sex appeal of the young Paul Newman.
Newman plays the title character – a scoundrel who, by the end of the film has double crossed everyone he knows,
including his hard working father and brother. 2.35:1 widescreen. £15.99.
The Way Home:
Directed with delicate compassion by Jyong-Hyang Lee, it was the first South Korean film to receive distribution
by a major American studio. The film, which stars Yoo Sueng-Ho and Kim Eul-Boon, tells the story of a young boy,
who is left to care for his mute grandmother in a ramshackle hut in rural China.
The episode titles for Angel Season 4 are: Deep Down, Ground State, The House Always Wins, Slouching Towards
Bethlehem, Super Symmetry, Spin The Bottle, Apocalypse Nowish, Habeas Corpses, Long Day's Journey, Awakening,
Soulless, Calvary, Salvage, Release, Orpheus, Players, Inside Out, Shiny Happy People, The Magic Bullet,
Sacrifice, Peace Out, Home. The DVD costs £79.99 and is in 16:9 widescreen.
Before then comes a Special Edition release for
Casper
(£15.99) from Universal, which contains
both a DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack as well as extras: commentary with director Brad Silberling,
'Revealing Casper' behind the scenes documentary, Deleted musical sequence, Interactive menu games and DVD ROM
content.
If music's your back, then there's a stack of Classic Rock titles out in March from Direct video Distribution.
All are £17.99 and contain DTS sound, apart from the Jimi Hendrix title which is also at the lower price
of £15.99. For some reason Blackstar don't have pictures on their site for these, so you'll have to use
your imagination:
Finally, one for gamers and good news for Gamecube owners with the latest Final Fantasy outing. Taken directly
from the press release:
The most successful role playing game franchise ever, returns to Nintendo in
this stunning fantasy adventure.
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles
is set to
launch in Europe on March 11th 2004 exclusively for Nintendo GameCube. For a
limited time only, every game will also include a free Nintendo GameCube
Game Boy Advance Cable, enabling you to access valuable data on your Game
Boy Advance and enjoy multi player action with up to three friends.
This latest game from the Final Fantasy creators¹ tells the tale of a land
covered in a poisonous cloud. It's a world ravaged by a deadly plague that
only the blessed crystal can protect. To maintain its protective power, a
group of adventurers set out on the crystal caravan to collect myrrh
droplets. These magical droplets are the very life essence of the crystal
itself. During the game, players must travel together in a band. The only
thing protecting you and your friends from the poison gas is a magic crystal
that generates a small force field around you all. Should any member of the
group leave the protected circle, they'll be fully exposed to the hazardous
fumes. Stay together and begin your quest through a land of terrible dangers
and unlimited adventure!
Players must choose one of 32 different characters, from one of four
different races and travel around locations, talking to the local people and
fighting enemy monsters along the way. Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles is
filled with action as players must find myrrh droplets to unleash the
protective power of their village¹s crystal.
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles can also be played as a multiplayer game.
Up to four players can form a team and by using Game Boy Advance or Game Boy
Advance SP consoles as controllers, they must solve the puzzles, defeat
enemies and survive in a land teeming with danger. One of the many unique
features of the game is that players are able to control their characters
on-screen, whilst at the same time receiving personal information on their
Game Boy Advance. The type of information is different for each player,
which means the team has to communicate constantly in order to decide the
best course of action in game!
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles is a truly co-operative gameplay
experience as players must stick together and do battle using magic spells
and special attacks to combat evil enemies in massive real-time battles!
But whilst working together to protect the crystal, you can still compete
with your friends! Before each level begins, each player is given a secret
objective and the player who completes their personal object most
successfully has the first pick from a number of end of level rewardsŠ
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
A 'Savage' game designer competition on PC...
Bob Dylan on DVD...
Lately Airbiscuit have announced a new single and album...
MGM's March DVD releases...
Paramount's April DVD releases...
New Final Fantasy exclusive to Gamecube...
